How Marriage Is Like a Business

The word “marriage” brings up images of diamond rings, billowy dresses, and the promise of a long and happy life together.
Yet a marriage is also a legal and financial partnership. Like partners in a small business, married couples must manage money, make joint decisions, and communicate with one another about dozens of day-to-day issues.

By Jane Haskins
The word “marriage” brings up images of diamond rings, billowy dresses, and the promise of a long and happy life together.

Yet a marriage is also a legal and financial partnership. Like partners in a small business, married couples must manage money, make joint decisions, and communicate with one another about dozens of day-to-day issues.

A Marriage Is a Legal Relationship

When you get a marriage license or form a business, you create a new legal relationship. Marriage means your and your partner’s money and property are connected in a way that they weren’t before.

Marriage affects your legal rights in several ways:

Property ownership. When you were single, you owned your bank account and anything you bought with it. When you’re married, the general rule is that everything you earn or acquire during your marriage belongs to the two of you jointly (although there are exceptions…